A DETERMINED single mother has gone from a life on benefits to being one of the UK’s most successful property investors in 20 years.

Vicki in the Nineties with Kimberley, left, then four, and Charlie, three[NC]

An abusive marriage left Vicki Wusche destitute and caring for two small children, but today, in a turnaround that will be applauded by hard-working families, she has amassed a portfolio of 22 properties worth £2million.

Last night she said: “If I can do it, anyone can do it.”

In 1991 penniless Vicki left a violent relationship and took her daughters, one-year-old Charlie and Kimberley, aged three, to live with her parents.

The three shared a box room before moving to a council house where they stayed for three years.

Her daily struggle involved counting every penny and searching the discount aisle in budget supermarkets “in tears” as she struggled to put food on the table for her children.

With no maintenance from her ex-partner and no work, Vicki lived on Jobseekers’ Allowance, scraping by on just £250 a month. But instead of relying on the state she decided to enrol on a university course.

Vicki, 51, of Uxbridge, west London, said: “I knew I didn’t want to be dependent on the state for the rest of my life and I didn’t want to cause my parents any more stress.

“I didn’t want my children to see that as acceptable, so I signed up for a course knowing that would give me the best chance of getting a job.

Vicki now lives with a new partner and they own a string of homes in the city which are rented to people on benefits

“When I was on benefits I remember writing down everything I spent – even 10p to make a call from a phone box.

“I would cry as I bought food from the supermarket late at night because I knew it would be reduced.

“I raised my girls on white rice, chopped tomatoes and frankfurters... it was all we could afford.”

For three years Vicki juggled raising her family on a shoestring while studying, holding down five jobs in term-time when her benefits stopped.

In 1995, she graduated with a first class degree in business and computing and landed a job as a university lecturer.

By 2008 she had saved enough to put a 15 per cent deposit on a £70,000 Victorian terrace house in Liverpool.

Vicki now lives with a new partner and they own a string of homes in the city which are rented to people on benefits.

Vicki, at her home in Uxbridge, says of her rags-to-riches story: ‘It just takes determination.’ [Steve Reigate]

She also runs businesses sourcing property for first-time investors and teaching people how to get into buy-to-let.

She said: “Mine is not a hardluck story. It just takes hard graft and determination. Sadly, they are two qualities missing these days. Benefits were there originally to support, but for decades it’s been a lifestyle choice for some.

“Rather than enabling people back into work, it disables people’s ability to imagine a better future.”

Now she is calling on the Government to address Britain’s money-management crisis by making budget planning lessons compulsory in school.

Vicki said: “Being able to manage finances is key in life. Giving people money without teaching them how to manage it is like being put in a boat without a paddle. Perhaps then people wouldn’t have to turn to loan companies charging sky-high interest rates.”